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To the reader. Yf thou be a man that haſt wyfe and childrē, firſt loue thy wyfe, acordynge to the enſample of the loue, wherwith Chriſt loued the cōgregacion, and remembre that ſo doynge, thou loueſt euen thyſelfe: yf thou hate her, thou hateſt thine awne fleſh: yf thou cheriſhe her and make moch of her, thou cheriſeſt &amp; makeſt moch of thyſelfe for ſhe is bone of thy bones, &amp; fleſh of thy fleſh. And who ſo euer thou be that haſt children, brynge them vp in the nurtour and informacion of the Lorde. And yf thou be ignoraunt, or art otherwyſe occupied laufully that thou canſt not teach them thy ſelfe, then be euen as diligent to ſeke a good maſter for thy childrē, as thou waſt to ſeke a mother to beare them: for there lieth as great weight in the one as in ye other. Yee better it were for thē to be vnborne, then not to feare God, or to be euel brought vp, which thynge(I meane bryngynge vp well of children) yf it be diligently loked to, it is the vpholdinge of all comon welthes: and the negligence of the ſame, the very decaye of all realmes.

Fynally, who ſo euer thou be, take theſe wordes of ſcripture in to thy herte, and be not onely an outwarde hearer, but a doer therafter, and practyſe thyſelfe therin: that thou mayeſt fele in thine hert, the ſwete promyſes therof for thy conſolacion in _ all trouble, &amp; for the ſure ſtablyſhinge of thy hope in Chriſt, and haue euer

an eye to ye wordes of ſcripture, that yf thou be a teacher of other

thou maye&#383;t be within the boundes of the trueth, or

at the leeſt though thou be but an hearer or

reader of another mans doyn

ges, thou mayeſt

yet haue

knowlege to iud-

ge all ſpretes, and be fre from

euery erroure, to the vtter deſtruccion

of all ſedicious ſectes &amp; ſtraunge doctrynes, that

the holy ſcrypture maye haue fre paſſage, and be had in re-

putacion, to the worſhippe of the author therof,

which is euen God himſelfe: to whom

for his moſt bleſſed worde be

glory &amp; domynion

now &amp; euer.

Amen.